It has been 74 days since the 'Stay at Home' order was issued, putting our world on a new path. The crew has been nothing short of spectacular in adjusting to our new procedures and safety precautions. If you park in the lower lot on busy days you might notice the new break room. Due to social distancing restrictions, the staff meets outside at the start of each day.
Prograss Renovations
An annual project for us is the use of Prograss (Ethofumesate) for selective removal of Poa annua in Ryegrass rough areas. It is a time intensive process, but I believe this program sets us apart from other golf courses in the area.
It's frustrating to stare at dead grass and thin rough for a few months, but also rewarding to see the hours of work pay off and produce a quality monostand of ryegrass.
Native area Maintenance
The saying goes 'April showers, brings May flowers' for us April showers, brings tall native. Each year once the native starts to grow, we can't seem to keep up.
Mowing these areas is very weather dependent, dry (no rain) and warm days are needed, when mowing these areas. The grass clippings must be cleaned up. Clippings left behind will smother out the native resulting in dead patches.
High traffic areas, right of the bunker on #2, between #11 & 12 are mown more frequently to help pace of play. We recently knockdown all of the native around the back edges of bunkers and other in play areas. Hopefully the weather will start to dry out for Summer and allow these areas to play as intended.
The Effects of Minimal Maintenance
The conditions in 2020 are going to be different, but it is unclear how they will be different due to the extended closure. April and May have been fantastic months for growing grass. The image above shows the difference in maintenance practices in 2020 v (2019). There is a possibility that lower frequency of mowing and rolling, could have negative impacts on green speed and it will take time to adjust to account for minimal maintenance.
Grain
This is a great article from the USGA on grain. There has been a lot of talk lately over grain and questions about it. Grain and why grass grow a certain direction is not well understood and the impact on ball roll is often over stated.
An increased height of cut, will have more 'grain' due to the increased amount of leaf surface. Longer length carpet in your house will be slower than shorter length carpet. The last thing mentioned in the USGA article is verticutting to encourage upright growth.
The practice of verticutting is not part of our management program to maintain bentgrass putting surfaces. The climate in the Pacific Northwest is perfect for opportunistic Poa annua, verticutting creates voids in the surface and opportunities for Poa annua to germinate and spread
Instead we use brushes and other grooming aids to encourage an upright growth pattern.
This is a great article from the USGA on grain. There has been a lot of talk lately over grain and questions about it. Grain and why grass grow a certain direction is not well understood and the impact on ball roll is often over stated.
An increased height of cut, will have more 'grain' due to the increased amount of leaf surface. Longer length carpet in your house will be slower than shorter length carpet. The last thing mentioned in the USGA article is verticutting to encourage upright growth.
The practice of verticutting is not part of our management program to maintain bentgrass putting surfaces. The climate in the Pacific Northwest is perfect for opportunistic Poa annua, verticutting creates voids in the surface and opportunities for Poa annua to germinate and spread
Instead we use brushes and other grooming aids to encourage an upright growth pattern.
It has been great seeing everyone back on property and enjoying the golf course and an escape from the outside world.
If you have any questions about any of the topics mentioned, please send me an email, sean@aldarragc.com.
Thank you and have a great weekend!
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